Drowning victim worked, played hard

Published: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 7:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 1, 2013 at 7:28 p.m.

Friends remember Justin James, the 25-year-old off-shore worker who drowned early Sunday, as a hardworking daredevil.

“We had this game where we would hit each other with pies,” said Jolie Elkins, his friend of more than a decade.

“One time he pied me, and it had pickled cabbage, mustard, ketchup and whipped cream. Everyone videoed it. It was so rank, I didn't smell right for two days.”

James drowned while swimming in a canal near a Cocodrie camp, Capt. Dawn Foret said.

James, who grew up in Houma and went to Terrebonne High School, loved to stay fit and make people laugh.

“He was always bragging that he had abs of steel,” Tracie Herbert, the mother of one of his good friends, said. “He had like 6 percent body fat.”

He bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle about nine months ago, evidence of his spontaneous and wild side, Elkins said.

James' first outing led to a serious leg injury, and his goal was getting back on the bike.

“He was not going to give up,” Herbert said. “He was a hard worker.”

James was among a group of 10 at the camp over the weekend, a frequent hangout for a tight-knit group of friends, Hebert said.

James and a friend were swimming about 2 a.m. near the camp when “all of a sudden he started pulling the girl down with him, and she was screaming,” Hebert said. “All of them went swimming looking for him, but they couldn't find him.

Authorities recovered James' body about three hours later.

Many of James' friends had to return to their offshore jobs Monday, which was “rough on all of them,” Hebert said.

Though Justin was a guy's guy, he also had a soft side, Elkins said.

“Justin seemed very hard with the guys, but he had a very good heart,” she said.

<p>Friends remember Justin James, the 25-year-old off-shore worker who drowned early Sunday, as a hardworking daredevil.</p><p>“We had this game where we would hit each other with pies,” said Jolie Elkins, his friend of more than a decade.</p><p>“One time he pied me, and it had pickled cabbage, mustard, ketchup and whipped cream. Everyone videoed it. It was so rank, I didn't smell right for two days.”</p><p>James drowned while swimming in a canal near a Cocodrie camp, Capt. Dawn Foret said.</p><p>James, who grew up in Houma and went to Terrebonne High School, loved to stay fit and make people laugh. </p><p>“He was always bragging that he had abs of steel,” Tracie Herbert, the mother of one of his good friends, said. “He had like 6 percent body fat.”</p><p>He bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle about nine months ago, evidence of his spontaneous and wild side, Elkins said.</p><p>James' first outing led to a serious leg injury, and his goal was getting back on the bike.</p><p>“He was not going to give up,” Herbert said. “He was a hard worker.” </p><p>James was among a group of 10 at the camp over the weekend, a frequent hangout for a tight-knit group of friends, Hebert said.</p><p>James and a friend were swimming about 2 a.m. near the camp when “all of a sudden he started pulling the girl down with him, and she was screaming,” Hebert said. “All of them went swimming looking for him, but they couldn't find him. </p><p>Authorities recovered James' body about three hours later.</p><p>Many of James' friends had to return to their offshore jobs Monday, which was “rough on all of them,” Hebert said. </p><p>Though Justin was a guy's guy, he also had a soft side, Elkins said.</p><p>“Justin seemed very hard with the guys, but he had a very good heart,” she said.</p>